It's shiny and colourful, it's equally at home in the MIDI studio or between the turntables in a club, and as effects processors go it's very, very clever. Paul Farrer prepares to enter Federation territory...

GM synths have a reputation in hi-tech circles for being dull and samey, but they're undeniably popular — and now the specification has been updated. Derek Johnson & Debbie Poyser take a look at the first of the GM2 generation.

Time moves quickly in the world of digital recording and since SOS's last sampler roundup in September 1997, a host of new models have been introduced, from 'quick-and-dirty' phrase recorders to top-of-the-range sampling workstations. Derek Johnson and Debbie Poyser steer you through the pre-purchase decisions, and provide a guide to all the currently available models.

Time moves quickly in the world of digital recording and since SOS's last sample roundup in September 1997, a host of new models have been introduced, from quick-and-dirty phrase recorders to top-of-the-range sampling workstations. Derek Johnson & Debbie Poyser steer you through the pre-purchase decisions, and provide a guide to all the currently available models.

The launch of yet another 8-in/8-out PCI soundcard might seem little cause for raised eyebrows, but Terratec have a few surprises up their sleeves with the EWS88 MT. Martin Walker prepares to be amazed.

This multi-talented musician has top session and production credits, solo albums, award-winning film music and acclaimed synth preset programming to his name — yet that name is still relatively unfamiliar. Paul Tingen does his bit to spread the word...

New developments in technology often originate in other fields, and are only later applied to the world of music. In this new regular column, Dave Shapton seeks out the latest breakthroughs in digital technology, and explains how they might change the way in which music is made and recorded.

Music mythology has it that real drummers are illiterate, beer-swilling louts with about as much musicality as a dead dog. Nevertheless, it can be hard to find an acceptable substitute. Sam Inglis offers a few pointers.

Having explained the factors that come into play in designing the structure, content and appearance of a web site, Mike Simmons turns to the part that will be most important to many SOS readers: putting sound on your site.

The Free Internet access now being offered by so many companies and the ability of inexpensive net software mean that your Atari computer could be the cheapest way to get on line. Derek Johnson checks out a new German web-access package and also rounds up some drum machine and synth emulators for the ST and Falcon.

Now that software versions of synths, processors and samplers are available for less than their hardware equivalents, many musicians are being tempted to dispense with their studio hardware and run everything inside their PCs. Martin Walker examines the feasibility of putting all your chips in one basket...

Last month, Hugh Robjohns described the planning and setting up he undertook in preparation for recording the choir of Cheltenham College. This month, he turns his attention to the recording itself — and the problems of moving between two venues in one day.

As parts 4 & 5 of Gordon Reid's series showed, even the simplest analogue filters mess with your sound in complicated ways. In this part, he considers what happens when you make the design more sophisticated...
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